The Southern Division AFS Trout Committee announces the First Call for Papers for the 6th East Coast Trout Management and Culture Workshop, June 10 - 12, 2019, at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland. This workshop is unique in providing a forum for fisheries biologists and administrators, trout culturists, academic researchers, students, fishing conservation organizations, and anglers to share information, techniques and timely topics of concerns.

A focus of this meeting will be the importance of biosecurity for management and culture efforts in an increasingly mobile world of anglers, fisheries researchers, and culture professionals. From headwater native brook trout streams to multi-species tailwater fisheries, the importance of considering, planning, and managing for biosecurity issues is critical to the future of our coldwater resources. With this focus, a half-day symposia and panel discussion is being planned in addition to the regular session topics.

This Sixth East Coast meeting presents a continuing opportunity for an incredibly diverse gathering of individuals interested in our cold water resources to gather and discuss vital issues facing the future of these resources. Towards this end we are especially encouraging presentations on the following topics in addition to the biosecurity focus, with the expectation that the information exchanged and discussed at the meeting will lead to actions and direction for coldwater management in the future. The topics are:

Biosecurity measures and their impacts to coldwater management

eDNA application for wild trout inventory and monitoring

Stream restoration for native and wild trout: biological success stories and why they worked

The future of coldwater culture: meeting resource and management needs in the face of budget, biological, and biosecurity challenges

The role and value of developing and continuing long term data sets for coldwater fisheries

Aquatic nuisance species impacts on coldwater resources

New opportunities and techniques in coldwater production

Social media role(s) in communicating with the angling public and media

Recruit, retain, reactivate; how do we approach coldwater fisheries marketing and promotion?

Is there compromise when science conflicts with stakeholder desires in coldwater fisheries management?

Practical applications of genetics research and data for todays’ fisheries and culture managers

Climate warming predictions and potential impacts to east coast fisheries resources – are we being proactive?

Fisheries managers, culturists, researchers, administrators, and anglers are encouraged to attend this workshop and to submit an abstract(s) for review and inclusion in the workshop program. Presentations will be 20 minutes in length and may include reviews of pertinent works and recently completed studies or preliminary results that are innovative solutions to the challenges we face in managing our coldwater resources. Those wishing to present at this workshop must send an abstract to Matt Sell (matt.sell@maryland.gov) for management and culture topics by March 22, 2019. Abstracts or extended abstracts should be in MICROSOFT WORD and follow the instructions for authors in the Manuscript Format section for the North American Journal of Fisheries Management (NAJFM Format). Abstracts can be up to four, double spaced pages with additional tables and figures. All accepted abstracts will be published in the meeting proceedings, and should include a title, name and address of each author, and the telephone number and email address of the presenter.

Online meeting registration, lodging (private lodging and FSU air conditioned dormitory rooms with linens, single or double), and Tuesday night social and dinner with live music and cash bar information and rates will be available at the FSU East Coast meeting registration website in February 2019. The EBTJV Steering Committee annual meeting (June 12, 1:00- 5:00 @FSU) and the SDAFS annual Trout Committee meeting (June 13, 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon, UMCES Appalachian Lab, Frostburg) will be held in conjunction with this meeting also.